Abstract:
In a predominantly online Australian institution the effects of Co-Vid19 have been less disruptive to students and staff than in other institutions.
However, the lockdown requirements have exposed staff to new methods of communication in their working and family lives and have provided an opportunity to think creatively about the potential of online communication platforms.
This presentation discusses a project to investigate the use of Microsoft Teams for teaching in an online environment by providing teaching and learning staff (academics and designers) with the experience of an online professional development course.
Participants are geographically spread across Australia and are all currently working from home. Most have been introduced to Microsoft Teams for online meetings but have little knowledge of the platform or its capability.
The course of seven sessions has been designed to use the features of MS Teams to expose participants to a more collaborative learning style. The course is explicitly designed to encourage reflection on:
· whether collaborative opportunities provided by the platform might promote better student engagement, independence and learning, and
· whether and how our learning and teaching staff’s own views on best practice for online learning change as a result of their experiences.
The results of the project will be used as part of the ongoing scholarship of teaching and learning within the institution and, if appropriate, to reframe aspects of our online courses.
Speaker:
Ms. Deborah Ankor, Director of Research and Scholarship, College of Law Australia
Deborah Ankor is the Director of Research and Scholarship at the College of Law Australia.
Prior to this role she was Associate Dean (Professional) at Flinders Law School where she remains an adjunct Associate Professor.
Her interest is in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for which she has received both University awards and a national Office of Learning and Teaching citation.
Ms. Maryann Haffenden
Maryann is the Project Executive for the College of Law’s new and innovative program Master of Legal Business. With a Master of Taxation, an FCA designation and currently completing a Master of Education (Learning & Leadership), Maryann brings 16 years’ experience of working in professions-based adult learning. Her focus is on business education.
Maryann is interested in the way the legal profession is changing in response to globalisation, automation and new business models and how education for professional learning must evolve to respond to those changes. She is interested in understanding the future employability needs of students, members of the legal profession, employers and industries. Areas of interest include understanding how adults learn most effectively and the assurance of learning.